


Of Wisdom and Strength

by ArivonceTheNerd



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Barbarian!Pike, Cleric!Grog, Fluff, Gen, Hopefully still true to character, Pure Speculation, Tags will probably be added as this continues, class swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 02:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18327044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArivonceTheNerd/pseuds/ArivonceTheNerd
Summary: Grog might not be very smart, but by the grace of Kord is he very wise.Pike might be sweet, but threaten her friends or family, her rage will end you.In other words, the class-swap that started as a random idea but made more sense when I thought about it.Series of ficlets that will get updated sporadically





	Of Wisdom and Strength

**Author's Note:**

> I read a story once about a class swap between Percy and Vex before and it inspired me to make this. Here's that wonderful story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8359729

* * *

Grog Strongjaw was but a youngling when the Church of Storms, Kord’s center of worship in Westruun, threw him out in disgrace.

“CHEATER”, they accused.

Thunderlord Kevdak, High cleric of Kord, brought down his judgement and branded him a coward, and that Grog was a disgrace to the Stormlord, in how he defeated Zanror using deceitful means, smearing upon their commandments of using Strength to win in the battlefield.

The Thunderlord banished him from the church, to be forever known to them as a coward, and if he would dare step foot in that district of the city, that he would be chased out by Kevdak himself.

And so the young goliath fled into the Bramblewood. Not knowing how to survive in the wilds on his own, he was very quickly succumbing to exposure, he tried persevering for as long as he could, trying to remain brave, to be strong for the deity he still firmly believed in. He can’t really understand why they felt the need to drive him away, but he knows that the Stormlord had nothing to do with this, and that the Thunderlord and his followers were only acting on the Thunderlord’s will.

He wondered how the Stormlord will react to that. The Church of Storms was strong, and has always been, but they used their strength this time to pursue their own selfish desires. The Stormlord at the very least has to strip them of their divine-granted powers. It went against one of his key commandments of using their strength responsibly. Regardless of how weak he felt at the moment, the rumbling clouds above him gave him the comforting sense that the Stormlord is behind him.

By all logic, being in a forest with an impending storm without shelter is a death sentence for ordinary folk.

Grog Strongjaw was never ordinary. He was born strong, and raised strong, he felt that Kord was watching over him.

The storm came, lightning flashed but rain did not fall. He took it as a direct sign from his deity, and as the storm moved, he followed it. He got the sense that it was going to lead him to where he was needed the most.

* * *

The Trickfoots historically were a family of deep gnomes who were banished from their city after one too many hijinks and deceits. They never forgave the society that shunned them, and they took the grudge into their hearts, made it fuel them. They took their anger and integrated it in their culture, founding a new generation of Trickfoots that shunned civilization.

They used their rage to take what they wanted and live the way they wanted, never settling in a single place at a time, and for a long time, the Trickfoots were content. Granted, they stole from any they came across and butchered those that resisted, but they loved that brutal aspect of their lives.

However, seemingly out of nowhere, one of their greatest warriors, Wilhand Trickfoot started preaching about redemption, about how they can live their lives, use their channeled anger in a way that protects. At first their collective family let him be, but when he started to discourage their raiding, they drove him away, only joined by a great-great-granddaughter that he corrupted with his views.

Wilhand didn’t mind, he used as much of the respect as possible to try and convince them, but even he knew that too much change wasn’t possible for them. He managed to gain at least one listener. He hoped one day that others would follow.

Pike Trickfoot was getting bored with how predictable her young life was so far. She needed more in her life than taking what they wanted whenever they wanted it, and her ambitions were answered when her pop pop Wilhand began telling her about redemption, using their strength as a force of good. She was skeptical at first, but began to see the wisdom in that.

She wasn’t a fully trained warrior when she and her pop pop left for good. Her parents were mortified that their daughter actually listened to the “crazed old man”. Her potential was going to go to waste, they said.

It never went to waste. Pike believed that if she stayed with the family, she wouldn’t have grown as much as she had; being personally trained by pop pop Wilhand.

* * *

  
They lived happily for a few years settling in the forest that was nearest to their clan's current campsite. The first few months were a bit awkward since they weren’t accustomed to settling in one place longer than a month, but their survival training and hunting skills let them live in relative peace. It wasn’t until a few years later that Wilhand, on a hunting trip came across a starving half-giant, face down on the forest floor. He already secured a buck and was on the process of making his way back to Pike rather hastily in order to not be caught by the rain that might arrive if the storm clouds above were any indication.

Even for his small frame, he was able to haul both the goliath and the buck back to his and Pike’s cabin. Upon examination by both him and Pike, it was clear that had he not encountered the half-giant when he did, he would not have made it.

Wilhand couldn't call it anything but divine providence, and Pike agreed. Sarenrae would love for them to give the boy a second chance in life, and so they agreed to take him in to their small home if he would choose to.

**Author's Note:**

> As said in the description this will be updated sporadically. My ADHD unfortunately makes it incredibly hard for me to sit and actually finish something. I have plans for this, some story arcs I want to touch, but as for when that'll be completed? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> If you noticed the distinct lack of direct dialogue in this chapter, there is a very good reason for that. The reason being my skills in dialogue making suck. ~~If~~ When I update this, future chapters will have dialogue because I won't have the excuse of narrating the story anymore, and the future scenes I'm planning for this will work the best with dialogue. So if you're wondering why the heck I'm taking so long, it's probably because of that.


End file.
